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USAJOBS Search

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How Federal Jobs are Filled

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Many Federal agencies fill their jobs like private industry by allowing applicants to contact the agency directly for additional job information and in understanding the application process.

While the process may be similar to that in private industry, there are still significant differences due to the many laws, executive orders, and regulations that govern Federal employment.

COMPETITIVE, EXCEPTED, AND SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE - Federal jobs in the Executive Branch fall into three categories: 1) those that are in the competitive service, 2) those that are in the excepted service, and 3) those that are in the senior executive service.

Competitive service jobs are under OPM's jurisdiction and subject to the civil service laws passed by Congress to ensure that applicants and employees receive fair and equal treatment in the hiring process. These laws give selecting officials broad authority to review more than one applicant source before determining the best-qualified candidate based on job-related criteria. A basic principle of Federal employment is that all candidates must meet the qualification requirements for the position for which they receive an appointment.

Excepted service positions are excepted by law, by executive order, or by action of OPM placing a position or group of positions in excepted service Schedules A, B, or C. For example, certain entire agencies such as the Postal Service and the Central Intelligence Agency are excepted by law. In other cases, certain jobs or classes of jobs in an agency are excepted by OPM. This includes positions such as attorneys, chaplains, student trainees, and others.

NOTE: The excepted service is subject to the provisions of veterans' preference unless otherwise exempted. Some Federal agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have only excepted service positions. In other instances, certain organizations within an agency or even specific jobs may be excepted from civil service procedures.

The Senior Executive Service (SES) was established by Title IV of the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) of 1978. The SES was set up as a "third" service, completely separate from the competitive and excepted services. Top management positions are joined into a unified and distinct personnel system that provides for considerable agency authority and flexibility. SES positions are classified above GS-15 or equivalent. All SES vacancies are advertised on OPM's USAJOBS. From this site, you may download announcements for vacancies of interest to you. Veterans do not receive hiring preference for SES positions because 5 USC 2108(3) which defines the term "preference eligible" provides that this term does not include applicants for, or members of, the Senior Executive Service.

Vacancy Announcements

A posted vacancy announcement is an agency's decision to seek qualified candidates for a particular vacancy. The agency is under no obligation to make a selection. In some instances, an agency may cancel the posting and choose to re-announce the vacancy later.

Sources of Eligibles

In filling competitive service jobs, agencies can generally choose from among 3 groups of candidates:

A competitive list of eligibles administered by OPM or by an agency under OPM's direction. This list consists of applicants who have applied and met the qualification requirements for a specific vacancy announcement. It is the most common method of entry for new employees.

A list of eligibles who have civil service status consist of applicants who are eligible for noncompetitive movement within the competitive service because they either now are or were serving under career-type appointments in the competitive service. These individuals are selected under agency merit promotion procedures and can receive an appointment by promotion, reassignment, transfer, or reinstatement.

A list of eligibles that qualify for a special noncompetitive appointing authority established by law or executive order. Examples of special noncompetitive appointing authorities include the Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA) and Peace Corps.

Agencies in the competitive service are required by law and OPM regulation to post vacancies with OPM whenever they are seeking candidates from outside their own workforce for positions lasting more than 120 days. (Agency, in this context, means the parent agency -- i.e., Treasury, not the Internal Revenue Service.) These vacancies are posted on OPM's USAJOBS.

If you are interested in excepted service positions and do not find any posted on USAJOBS, you should contact the respective Federal agency directly. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management does not provide application forms or information on jobs in the excepted service.

USAJOBS is updated every business day from a database of more than 30,000 worldwide job opportunities and is available to job seekers in a variety of formats to ensure access for customers with differing physical and technological capabilities. It is convenient, user friendly, accessible through the computer or telephone and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Visit us at: http://www.usajobs.gov.

Adjusting the Text Size

The FedsHireVets website allows you to change the text size through standard browser settings or keyboard shortcuts:

Standard Browser Settings

Internet Explorer

In the View menu, mouse over to Text Size

Select the Text Size that best works for you: Largest to Smallest

Firefox

From the View menu, select Zoom, then Zoom In or Zoom Out to increase or decrease the font size.Note: For Firefox 4+, your full menu bar will need to be enabled; you cannot complete the previous instructions with the minimized/hidden menu bar.

Chrome

Temporarily change the font size for the current window:

From the Tools menu (the wrench in the upper right-hand corner), click Zoom + or Zoom -.

Permanently change the font size for all Chrome windows:

From the Tools menu (the wrench in the upper right-hand corner), select Options.

From the Under the Hood tab, scroll down to Web Content, and select the appropriate Font Size.